Machine element mounting means



Aug. 9, 1966 T. M. BAUM 3,264,953

MACHINE ELEMENT MOUNTING MEANS Filed Feb. 6, 1964 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. THEODORE M. BA UM United States Patent 3,264,?53 MAUI-ENE ELEMENT MOUNTING MEANS Theodore M. Baum, Baltimore, Md, assignor to Koppers ompany, line, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 342,913 2 Claims. (Cl. 93-36) This invention relates generally to machines for making box blanks and more particularly to the mounting of the strippers used in connection with the female cutting heads of such machines.

Conventionally, the slots in the box blanks are made through the use of rotary cutters of the male and female type. One coacting cutter head has mounted to it a male cutting blade whose outer periphery is to be received in a female groove mounted on the other cutting head. These blades cut slots in the blank as the blank passes between the juxtaposed heads so as to form closure flaps for the box that is to be made from the blank. The material thus cut from the blank tends to become wedged in the groove in the female head. Accordingly, a lower stripper is usually provided for the female groove away from the point of cutting to remove any material wedged from the groove.

Conventionally, these lower strippers have arcuate surfaces received in grooves in the cutting heads and are supported adjacent the female groove by a shaft. Replacing the strippers heretofore has been difficult because to disassemble them from the cutting head and support shaft has required a demounting of the mounting brackets for the support shaft. This, of course, is time-consuming and detrimental since strippers must sometimes be replaced during a production run of blanks.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for mounting lower strippers so that they may be easily and rapidly assembled to and disassembled from the cutting heads.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for mounting lower strippers having a support bracket for the stripper support bar in which there is an opening to receive a collar for the stripper support bar and a slot leading from the opening for the support bar alone thus affording an improved mounting means.

The invention contemplates box-making machinery wherein the female cutters are supported on a frame, a bar supports the strippers for the female cutters in juxtaposition to the female cutters, a movable collar is pro vided for each end of said bar, and mountings adapted to be attached to said frame are provided for each end of said bar, the mountings having an aperture for the collar and a slot leading from the aperture to a lower position for the bar so that when the collar is in the aperture, the strippers will be in operative position and when the bar is in the slot, the strippers will be in a lower or inoperative position for replacement.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are not intended as a definition of the invention but are for the purpose of illustration only.

In the drawings wherein like parts are marked alike:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the slotting portion of a box-making machine, with parts broken away, showing the stripper and support bar in operating position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of FIG. 1 with the frame broken away to show the stripper and support bar in operating position;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the assembly of FIG. 1 but showing the support bar in lowered position to permit removal of the strippers, and

atented August 1966 ice P FIGURE 4 is a side elevation as in FIG. 2 but showing the support bar in lowered position to permit removal of the strippers.

Conventionally, a pair of opposed feed rolls in the boxmaking machinery passes the blank or sheet of cardboard to a pair of rotatable cooperating knives to cut slots in the blank for the flaps of a carton. The upper knife, constituting the male portion of the cooperating knives, projects partly into the slot or groove of the lower or female knife. Conventionally, the lower or female member is provided with a stripper member for cleaning the groove.

For simplicity, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 only the female blade and stripper assembly along with the support therefor at one end. It is to be realized, however, that while this shows only one end of the assembly, the other end is similar but a mirror image thereof.

The cutting head supporting and driving shaft 18 is supported in side frames 22 in the known manner, namely, by having the shaft journal 23 bearing mounted in an eccentric housing 24 suitably retained in the side frame 22 (retaining means not shown). The purpose of having the shaft 18 eccentric mounted is so that it may be moved closer to or farther away from the male cutting head support shaft (not shown) in order to accommodate different thicknesses of blanks between the cutting heads. Operating means (not shown) are provided for revolving the eccentrics and thus regulating the distance between the male and female cutting heads.

The stripper 31 for cleaning the groove 3 of the female cutter has an arcuate portion 32 made so as to slidably fit in a groove 3 in a cutting head 34 in the known manner. Supporting the stripper 31 is a shaft 35 which passes through the U-shaped notch 36 of the stripper 31 thus restraining the stripper 31 between the shaft 35 and the groove 33. To cause the stripper 31 to be firmly seated in the groove 33, pins 37 are securely fastened in apertures 38 provided in stripper 31 and tension springs 39 are fastened first to one pin 37, stretched over the shaft 35 and fastened to the other pin 37.

The foregoing structure is conventional. In accordance with this invention, there is provided a novel mounting which enables the strippers to be readily replaced.

The shaft 35 is supported by support brackets 41 by first passing the shaft 35 through holes 43 in the collars 4 placing the shoulders d5 of collars 44 in apertures 46 of the brackets 41. By tightening the set screws 47 in the collars 44, they are securely fastened to the shaft 35.

The apertures 46 of brackets ill, when viewed axially of the shaft 35, are keyhole-like shaped. The larger diameter portion 46L is made to receive the shoulder 45 of collar 44. The smaller portion 468 is made to receive the shaft 35 when the collar 44- is loosened and slid axially along shaft 35 until the shoulder 45 is disengaged from the larger portion 46L of aperture 46. In this manner, shaft 35 is moved radially away from the shaft 13 supporting the cutting heads 34- and consequently the strippers 31 are moved away from and out of engagement with cutting heads 34.

Since the brackets 41 are mounted to the shaft 18, they will move along with the shaft 18 when it is adjusted by the eccentrics 24 and consequently the strippers 31 and support bar 35 move a corresponding amount and in the same direction thus keeping the strippers 31 in proper engagement with the cutting heads 4. The shoulder screw 25 is threaded into the side frames 22 through the elongated slot 49 provided in brackets 41 to assist in securing the brackets.

In operation, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of strippers 31 are assembled to the support shaft 35 with the arcuate portion 32 seated in grooves 33 in cutting heads 34. The support shaft 35 is assembled in the brackets 41 by first assembling the collars 44 to the shaft and then by seating the shoulders 45 in the larger portion 16L of aperture 16 and securing the collars 44 to shaft 35 by means of set screws 47. It can be seen that as the cutting heads 34- are moved axially of the shaft 18, the strippers 31 will follow the heads by sliding along shaft 5.

Should a stripper 31 become badly worn or damaged, it may be replaced by loosening set screws 47, sliding the collars 44 out of engagement with brackets 41, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that shaft 35 will move into the smaller portion 465 of apertures 46 thus permitting the strippers 31 to become disengaged from cutting heads 34 and be easily removed and others installed.

The foregoing has presented a novel arrangement by which the strippers for the female cutting head of boxmaking machinery may be maintained in operative position and yet disassembled readily for repair. The invention provides for maintaining a set position of the stripper relative to the female cutter despite a change in position of the female cutter relative to the male cutter.

I claim:

1. A machine having coacting male and female cutters for cutting slots in a blank to make cartons therefrom comprising a frame, a shaft mounted on said frame for supporting the female cutter, a bar supporting a stripper in juxtaposition to said female cutter to maintain the cutter clear, a collar for said bar, and mounting means at the end of said bar adapted to be attached to the frame, said mounting means including an aperture for said collar and a slot leading from said aperture to a lower position whereby when said collar is in the aperture, the bar is held in an operative position with the stripper in juxta- 4 position to the female cutter and when the bar is in the slot, the bar will be in an inoperative position with the stripper displaced from the female cutter.

2. A machine having coacting male and female cutters for cutting slots in a blank to make cartons therefrom comprising a frame, a shaft mounted for supporting the female cutter, means mounting said shaft on said frame for changing the position of said shaft relative to the frame, a bar supporting a stripper in juxtaposition to said female cutter, a collar for said bar, and bar mounting means at the end of said bar adapted to be attached to the frame, said bar mounting means including a first member adapted to fit over said shaft, a second member adapted to fit under said shaft and be attached to said frame, and a means for connecting said members together, whereby both members change position with said shaft, a stripper on said bar for maintaining said female cutter clear, an aperture in said second member adapted to fit said collar whereby when said collar is in said aperture, said bar maintains said stripper in an operative position in juxtaposition to said female cutter, and a slot connected with said aperture for lowering said bar to an inoperative position whereby said stripper is displaced from said female cutter.

4/1960 German 93-36 X 5/1962 Lee 83-116 X BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE HAVING COACTING MALE AND FEMALE CUTTERS FOR CUTTING SLOTS IN A BLANK TO MAKE CARTONS THEREFROM COMPRISING A FRAME, A SHAFT MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR SUPPORTING THE FEMALE CUTTER, A BAR SUPPORTING A STRIPPER IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID FEMALE CUTTER TO MAINTAIN THE CUTTER CLEAR, A COLLAR FOR SAID BAR, AND MOUNTING MEANS AT THE END OF SAID BAR ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME, SAID MOUNTING MEANS INCLUDING AN APERTURE FOR SAID COLLAR AND A SLOT LEADING FROM SAID APERTURE TO A LOWER POSITION WHEREBY WHEN SAID COLLAR IS IN THE APERTURE, THE BAR IS HELD IN AN OPERATIVE POSITION WITH THE STRIPPER IN JUXTAPOSITION TO THE FEMALE CUTTER AND WHEN THE BAR IS IN THE SLOT, THE BAR WILL BE IN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION WITH THE STIPPER DISPLACED FROM THE FEMALE CUTTR. 